A bad job might be worse than no job at all

A bad job might be worse than none at allStudy finds low-quality work is a big downer

EVA VON SCHAPER, BLOOMBERG NEWS |
March 17, 2011

Working in a job marked by low control, high demands, complexity and the perception of unfair pay may lead to worse mental health than being unemployed, a study says.

Holding a job with little psychosocial quality doesn't provide any of the benefits of being employed in a more satisfying position, according to the study published Wednesday in the journal Occupational Environmental Medicine.

Because paid work is linked to a defined role, structured time and purpose, mental health researchers have often seen any kind of employment as beneficial. This study found, however, that moving from unemployment to a job of low quality could be detrimental, said Peter Butterworth, of Australian National University in Canberra.

People in the least-satisfying jobs saw their mental health drop the most over time, the study said. The number of unfavorable factors in working conditions was directly linked to the mental health of the study's participants. The study used data gathered over seven years from 7,155 households in an annual Australian survey.

Mental health was assessed using the five-item Mental Health Inventory, which looks at an individual's symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as positive aspects of mental health in the previous four weeks. Researchers measured job quality by querying participants on factors of control, demands and job security.

Those who were employed had a mental health score averaging 75.1 compared with a score of 68.5 for those without a job. Shifting from unemployment to desirable work raised the score by an average of 3.3 points, while taking a poor-quality job led to a loss of 5.6 points, compared with a 1.1-point decline for those who remained jobless.